Selectman Sells Main Street Building

PORTLAND — Selectman Brian Gouin has sold his Main Street property with the understanding that the new owners will fix housing code violations.

Gouin and his father, Donald, sold 224 Main St. on April 8 to Richlin Investment LLC of Portland for $145,000, according to land records.

The Gouins paid at least $175,000 in 1996 for the building, which houses three apartments and a vacant storefront.

Buyers He Lin and Chang Mian Lin of New Britain plan a Chinese restaurant for the storefront space that until recently housed Amanda's Gifts, according to the Lins' lawyer, James Tsui.

The Lins were aware of the property's 20 code violations -- ranging from leaky plumbing to loose electrical wiring -- and negotiated a price that reflects the required improvements, Tsui said.

Donald Mitchell, who oversees housing-code compliance for the town, said Thursday he was notified of the sale in a letter signed by the buyers and sellers that declares the Lins are responsible for remedying the violations.

A former occupant of one of two second-floor apartments complained to the town in December in a tenant-landlord dispute with the Gouins.

Brian and Donald Gouin labeled former tenant Rob Partiss a troublemaker who allowed his kitchen sink to overflow and damage a downstairs apartment. They evicted Partiss in February and vowed to make repairs.

Some problems uncovered in Mitchell's Dec. 19 inspection have been fixed, such as a rotted handrail on a second-floor landing and the leaky plumbing. Most of what remains to be repaired is cosmetic, the enforcement officer said.

Mitchell declined to specify what remains to be fixed. But his December inspection report detailed, among other things, broken floor tile, flaking paint and mold on the bathroom ceiling.

No fines -- which run as high as $100 a day per violation -- were levied against the Gouins because they were progressing with repairs, said Mitchell, whose last inspection of the property was Feb. 13.

The new owners don't face a timetable for repairs, but final fixes must pass town scrutiny before the vacant unit can be leased, Mitchell said.